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Today's the deadline to register to vote in Pa. primary

Photo by Scott LaMar/witf

(Harrisburg )-- Today is the deadline to register to vote for the May 20th primary election in Pennsylvania.

Voters in the commonwealth will go to the polls in the primary to nominate candidates for governor, lieutenant governor, the U.S. House, and the state House and Senate.

The commonwealth's Department of State says applications for voters registering for the first time, changing their address or changing their party affiliation must be postmarked or delivered to the applicant’s county board of elections by the close of business today.

"There are many resources available to help citizens register and vote in these important contests," Secretary of the Commonwealth Carol Aichele says. "Voters can visit www.VotesPA.com to check their registration status, download a voter registration form and find information on their polling place."

People may apply in person at a county voter registration office, the state departments of Public Welfare or Health, PennDOT photo and driver license centers, Armed Forces recruitment centers, county clerk of orphan’s courts or marriage license centers, area agencies on aging, county mental health and intellectual disabilities offices, student disability services offices of the State System of Higher Education, offices of special education in high schools, and Americans with Disabilities Act-mandated complimentary paratransit providers.

Individuals applying to register to vote for the primary must be:

-- A citizen of the United States for at least one month before the primary. -- A resident of Pennsylvania and the election district in which the individual desires to register and vote for at least 30 days before the primary. -- At least 18 years of age on or before the primary.

Voters must be registered as either Democrats or Republicans to cast a ballot in the primary.